Originally Posted By oc_dean >>You know I wish people would just leave DCA alone. << Oh, they are leaving it alone alright. :~ Any time I talk to non-Disney people about DCA, it's always the same - "I heard it's mediocre - Not interested". People who make up the mainstreem public. Not us Disney Internet Geeks. >> but I think the stuff that is there is great<< So you really think the factory tours, Golden Dreams, and the off-the-shelf carny rides have a permanent spot within this "Second Gate"? >>and that Disney holds some real good ideas to come in the future.<< If the next several projects are anything like "Monsters Inc." .. then we have a park we can all enjoy. Eventually. It will take about 7-10 years (I think)... but it's possible. But while Deeseeay slowly morphs into something more palatable with some nice additions .... It's going to take tearing out some "misses" such as the things I mentioned above. Getting back on topic though ..... Why, after 5 years, the building we are refering to remains an empty facade??? Come now. You open a park with a "San Francisco city-block" building ... with NOTHING inside?! And the only time it was ever open in this park's 5 year history (that's a lot of time!)... Is some tacky arcade set-up for the infamous "X-Games" promotion? UGH! COUGH-COUGH ... SOMEBODY GET ME DRINK!! On a positive note ... I'm glad some major changes are sweeping the Burbank and Glendale offices .. that will eventually trickle down to this park. Can I point out one thing that I always notice .. any time I can push myself through the entry gates? Once I get past Sunshine Plaza (which we already know is nothing to scream about) .... other than "It's Tough To Be A Bug" which is really a well done "D Ticket" ... here is this incredibly deep path along the "performance corrider"-(gag!) .... It's the "Never Ending Story" for me: The Great Nothing. To the right a large backside of Grizzly River Run. A long stretch of the Winery which is more "restaurant" than attraction. To the left .. more restaurant and shop: PT Flea Market .. the "Food Court" of DCA: The Warf. Can't call the 2 factory tours "headliner" attractions ..... and at the end of "The Great Nothing" .. an empty building with a new paint job - thank you to Darkbeer's great photos. This long stretch .. and .. nothing?! It's the best "Grove/Irvine Spectrum/DtD". But atleast Entertainment Malls don't leave buildings empty indefinitey! But ... HEY .. where's the beef? (Attractions!!!) Regarding "The Great Nothing" Corridor... That has to change!
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt As the park improves and attendance grows the fixation on beating DCA down is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Yet, some people are still singing the same tired tune....
Originally Posted By oc_dean You know, if it bothers you so much Hans, why waist your time responding? This is the sort of thing that "jonvn" did. Complaining about the complainers. And you think I'm being counter-productive?! It's 5 years later .. and DCA needs to be a financial success like yesterday. While nice improvements like "Monsters Inc" are making their way in ... It is just taking WAYYYYY too long for improvements turn this park around. On the other hand ... sweeping changes JUST happened at the higher levels within Disney, so it's unfortunately going to take some time. And unlike a 2 hour film everyone can just other like or dislike ... We got concrete and steel that's just going to sit for the meantime, and change at a snails pace. And it will be nice (agreement with you) .. that once more sweeping POSITIVE changes happen ... it will be nice to have (positive) conversation to reflect those (positive) changes. In the meantime .... I'm having a hard time getting all giddy over a paint job with this EMPTY building near Golden Dreams. Nice paint job to an empty building, and that does not deserve some criticism? Come now, my LP buddy.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Nice paint job to an empty building, and that does not deserve some criticism?>> It's entirely possible they have something planned for this space that we don't know about.
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> It is just taking WAYYYYY too long for improvements turn this park around. On the other hand ... sweeping changes JUST happened at the higher levels within Disney, so it's unfortunately going to take some time. << Maybe the "wayyy too long" is a blessing in disguise. The recent sea-change in disney management may help to ensure that the sweeping changes will actually be better than what's there now. It's almost certainly better for DCA's future to have a fresh team approaching the task of plussing the park and correcting some of the more egregious failure. The previous bunch of coconuts that built DCA in the first place were so emotionally invested in the park they built that they couldn't even acknowledge that there were problems, let alone anticipate them. So the long delay is almost certainly better for DCA in the long run. Part of the delay can be attributed to DL's fiftieth. Most of the planning and effort was diverted to DL in preparation of it's moment in the spotlight, effectively putting DCA "on ice" for awhile while they focused on DL. So thank you again DL - nice timing. As the 50th winds down, and the new management team comes together and reaches some consensus, I expect that their attentions will turn back to DCA, and the changes, improvements and new additions will start happening at a faster pace. I'm please by the addition of lassiter to the DCA recovery team, whatever his title is. DCAs chances for a solid improvement were already looking better with ouimet, emmers and hopefully baxter. And now lassiter's a new "wild-card" that's been thrown into the game, and as a result there's much more of a feeling that anything can happen - and soon. The next couple of years could be very exciting for those of us who care about DLR.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "You know, if it bothers you so much Hans, why waist your time responding?" I respond because this is a discussion board and that is what people do here. Your comments bug me because you have nothing new to say. Kind of like a broken car alarm. Though there is some truth to the whole "DCA sucks" argument, I think that reducing the discussion to just that (which is what you tend to do) has reached the limits of predictability. Continue if you must, but be prepared for the occasional rebuttal.
Originally Posted By TP2000 I think DCA attendance will take off once they get better commercials. The commercials they've been running with the Characters looking over the hedge at the new neighbor just didn't create enough excitement in SoCal. DCA will be slammed once they get better marketing, and then this whole issue will be moot. (An oldie but a goodie!)
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I doubt marketing will help turn around the reputation DCA has with locals. Only some solid new attractions, and perhaps the placemaking projects can do that, IMO. Monsters Inc. is a good start. Once they finish the placemaking of the entrance I think we'll all have a better idea if they're heading down the right path.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Fair enough Hans. Pardon me if I was a bit to far off with the "jonvn" thing. But he absolutely drove me nuts ... as too many times he attacked posters who dared to say anything critical. He obsessed over attacking people being critical .. and I'm glad he's not around anymore. And sure it may sound like a broken record to critize DCA .. but DCA for 6 years (plus 1 before it ever opened) has provided to be it's own "broken record" for one unsuccessful day, week, month, year .. after another .. after another. I guess this may also play into the fact many of LP posters have been here a while. We are all pretty settled .. except for the new occassional poster here and there. We've read it all .. Plus one criticism after another, after another .. So, sure .. I bet it's a bit tiring for us old timers who've been with LP almost since the beginning.
Originally Posted By planodisney I am a huge DCA supporter, and have been bombarded by jonvn over on mouseinfo any time i say anything critical. The dude is over the top oc dean!!!
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "...too many times he attacked posters who dared to say anything critical." I was critical of the park in this thread, so I'm not attacking critics just for being critical. It's the continual bashing that gets tiring.
Originally Posted By oc_dean We should do an "LP DCA favorite one-liners" topic- "DCA is fine the way it is" and... "Disney created exactly what they intended" are among a couple of my ~favorites~
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> I am a huge DCA supporter, and have been bombarded by jonvn over on mouseinfo any time i say anything critical. << And imagine what a person like that would be like if their salary and job security actually depended on the DisCo. Or imagine what they'd be like if they had personal, close working and social relationships with a Michael Eisner, Paul Pressler or Barry Braverman. Most of us would have a tough time not being brown nosers or butt kissers under such circumstances. Consequently, office politics is why the workplace can become so quickly and easily messed up.
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> The commercials they've been running with the Characters looking over the hedge at the new neighbor just didn't create enough excitement in SoCal. << I'm sure today's inclement weather in Southern California, 5 years later, is a big reason DCA isn't more successful.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <Consequently, office politics is why the workplace can become so quickly and easily messed up.> Wow. Never thought of that.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Funny you should ask, Nobody. This one time I was working in an office, and we had two supervisors -- I'll call them Mr. Gray and Mr. Garrison. Mr. Gray wasn't very good at his job, but he had the ear of the Boss....
